Over the Hills and Far Away
by Rule23
Summary: Ginny is worried about Charlie running off to study dragons.


**Disclaimer**_**: **_Anything you recognise belongs to the incomparable J. K. Rowling. No money is being made from this.

**Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition – Season Seven – Finals**

**Beater 2 for the Tutshill Tornados**

**Quarter Finals: A Different Kind of Magic**

It is important to remember that we all have magic inside us — J.K. Rowling

Each position has been given a book containing a different kind of magic to that of the HP universe. Your task is to take an element of one of these stories and use it as inspiration for your own.

You do not have to use the same type of magic as these stories do. You can take inspiration from whatever you wish (eg a quote, theme, plot point, etc).

**Beater Two: **_Caraval_ — Stephanie Garber (I will be using the quote "It's better this way, sister. There's more to life than staying safe...")

**Additional Prompts:**

[character] Charlie Weasley

[action] Reading/Telling a Bedtime Story

[object] Map

**Thanks to the Tutshill Tornados for betaing! I can't believe we made it to the finals!**

* * *

Over the Hills and Far Away

Words: 1422

* * *

"It's better this way, sister. There's more to life than staying safe..."

– _Caraval, _Stephanie Garber

* * *

"Why do you have to leave?" Ginny asked as she climbed into her bed. Charlie pulled the covers up over his little sister, tucking her in.

"I don't _have _to leave, Gin. I _want _to leave. I want to see the world," Charlie explained gently.

"But Mummy says dragons are really dangerous. What if you die and I never see you again?"

"I promise I won't die."

Ginny rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not a little baby anymore, Charlie. I'm nearly nine. I _know _people can't promise not to die."

"Well, how about I promise to be careful?"

"I suppose that will do." She sighed. "I hate not knowing where you're gonna be."

Her brown eyes grew as large as a baby Crup's, but Charlie knew better than to think she was about to cry. His baby sister didn't cry, even when she had good cause to. He hated to see her this upset, though. His mind drifted to the world map charmed to his bedroom wall. Perhaps it was time to pass it on?

"You won't miss me as much if you know where I am?" Charlie asked.

"I'll still miss you, silly."

"But it'll make you feel better?"

She nodded. "If I know where you are, I can tell myself stories about your adventures."

He grinned broadly. "What kind of stories?"

"Well, if I knew you were in the ocean, I could tell myself a story about how you saved a dragon from an evil pirate ship."

"And how would that go?" Charlie asked.

Ginny sat up in bed, untucking the covers, and grabbed a knitted dragon from her bedside table. "Well, it was a cold and stormy night—"

"Not a dark and stormy night?"

"That's stupid. Nights are always dark." She rolled her bright eyes. "Do you want to hear my story or not?"

"I apologise," he said with an exaggerated bow. "Please, continue."

"It was a cold and stormy night …"

_The wind was howling over the raging waves, rocking the large ship on the ocean's surface. Bobby, a not-so-fierce pirate with a ring through his nose and scar down his neck, was hanging over the side of the ship, his face green._

"_I think I'm going to puke," Bobby groaned to his friend, a short pirate known as Tommy._

"_You and me both," said Tommy. "I'll be glad when this storm is over."_

_Over the roaring of the wind and waves … and maybe something else … they heard the_ _THUNK, THUNK, THUNK that they both knew and feared. Whitebeard, their pirate captain, was headed their way. They each tried to pull themselves up from the railing but swayed and reached for its support once more as the ship crested a particularly nasty wave._

"_Bobby! Tommy! What are you scurvy dogs doing lollygagging around? Go check on the cargo!"_

"_Yes, sir," they said in unison. Bobby tried to salute, but he was so unsteady that it came off as more of a wave._

_Captain Whitebeard stormed off, perfectly steady despite his wooden leg, thinking to himself: "Those imbeciles are bloody useless!"_

"Ginny! You can't say that!"

"Can't say what?" Ginny asked, smiling sweetly.

"The B-word," Charlie said in a whisper.

"Ron says it all the time."

"Just because Ron says it, doesn't mean you should. Mum'll skin you alive if she hears you saying that."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic." Her grin became mischievous, dimpling her cheeks. "And anyway, I won't _let_ her hear me."

"Fine! On your own head be it!"

"You sound like Daddy."

"Oh hush," he said, poking out his tongue.

"Now, can I please carry on with my story?" Ginny asked. Charlie nodded, miming sewing his mouth shut. "'Those imbeciles are _bloody_ useless!' Captain Whitebeard thought to himself as he stomped back to his quarters …"

"_I suppose we'd better go and check," Bobby said._

"_Can't we just say we did?" Tommy asked his friend. "That thing is _bloody_ terrifying. What if it eats us?"_

_Bobby rolled his eyes at his friend. "It's muzzled. We'll be fine!"_

"_You better be right, Bobby."_

_Together they edged along the side of the ship, holding tightly to the rails so that they didn't fall over. Eventually, they reached the dark stairs that led to the belly of the ship._

"_After you," said Bobby, gesturing that Tommy should go first._

"_No, no, by all means, after you, dear Bobby."_

"_I insist!"_

"_No, I insist!"_

_The ship gave a mighty lurch and they were thrown down the stairs together. After several loud crashes, they landed in a heap at the bottom. They climbed painfully to their feet and took out their wands._

"Lumos_," Bobby said, filling the cargo hold with pale, white light._

_In the centre of the room was an enormous creature, its scaly snout tied shut with ropes and its wings trapped by a huge sack. A sad rumble was coming from its chest._

"_It looks fine to me," said Tommy. "Let's get out of here!"_

_There was a loud CRACK and a red-haired man wearing creased robes—_

"Hey!"

"Shush!"

—_and cool boots appeared in the cargo hold._

"_What do you think you're doing to this poor creature?" the man shouted. He pointed his wand at the two cowering pirates._

"_We errr…" said Bobby._

"_I … well…" said Tommy._

_The man glowered at them. "How dare you treat your fellow creatures this way?"_

_When they didn't respond, the man fired off a Bat-Bogey Hex at the two pirates._

"How do you know about Bat-Bogey Hexes, young lady?"

She rolled her eyes. "You sound like Mummy."

"How?"

"Bill showed me. But, don't tell! I promised him I wouldn't say anything."

Charlie tried to hide his smile.

_Whilst the two silly pirates were being attacked by their own bogies, the man pointed his wand at the dragon, banishing the ropes and sacks that held it. The dragon shook itself free and offered its back to the mysterious man._

_He climbed aboard and blasted a hole in the side of the ship sending splinters of wood flying in all directions. They took off into the night and Bobby and Tommy watched as the majestic silhouette of dragon flashed across the full moon._

"_The captain is gonna be so mad."_

"And the dragon and the mysterious man lived happily ever after."

"What about the pirates?"

"They were made to walk the plank."

"Seems fair." Charlie grinned at his sister. "So, if you know where I am, you'll be able to tell yourself stories like that?"

"Yep!"

"In that case, I have an idea!"

Charlie jumped to his feet and rushed from the room. He was back moments later holding a rolled tube of paper.

"This is a map of the world Mum and Dad got me the year before I went to Hogwarts." He unfurled it and used a Sticking Charm to attach it to Ginny's wall.

Ginny was out of bed in a flash, rushing over to examine her new map. "Wow, Charlie, this is awesome! You can see all the countries and the seas and everything." Her face fell. "But how will I know where you are?"

"That's the cool bit."

He used his wand to make a small incision in his thumb and pressed it to the map. He tapped the map three times and thought the words Bill had taught him. A glowing yellow light appeared in the south of England.

"Wow! How did you do that?" Ginny asked, running her fingers over the light.

"It's a locator charm. It'll show you wherever I am, even if it's the other side of the world."

"So, I can always tell myself stories about you?" Ginny asked.

"Exactly!"

She wrapped her small arms around his middle and squeezed him tight. "Thanks, Charlie," she whispered.

"Anything for you, Gin." He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

Ginny eventually let go and climbed into bed.

"Will you be safe?" she asked as he tucked her back in.

"There's more to life than staying safe." Her face fell. "But I promise that I will always be careful."

"You'd better," she said with a sad smile. "G'night, Charlie."

"Nighty night, Gin."

He turned out the light and closed the door as he left.

The room was totally dark except for the soft yellow light watching over Ginny as she slept.

* * *

THE END


End file.
